Well, hello there! Look at me posting.
I'm writing and editing and writing and editing, I swear my brain must be in some strange fantastical land because I just want to keep going and going. I asked advice from a friend (Thanks, Snow!) and it was recommended I go ahead and give you the first round of Van's Trial. I happily oblige because it gives you guys something to read and buys me some time to rest this weekend before continuing the next round (it's been written, but I am feeling the bitter sting of editing's hard hatred).
As always, if you see any problems, please let me know. And - as always (again) - thank you forever for reading and reviewing (or just reading or just reviewing or uhh... readiewing...?).
And so, the Van and Hitomi Trial begins:
A spark shot in and out; breaking the outlandish blanket of darkness that covered his senses and washed through him like a tidal wave of queasiness. As the black rolled forward and backward, he tried to ignore the pricking sour bitterness at the back of his throat and drive himself back into his thoughtless void. Unfortunately, it persisted, snaking and weaving, sparking and flaring away his comfortable oblivion with another clash of churning, stomach-clenching, nausea. It was at an instant Allen leaned to the right of his blind bed and let out a gagging cough. A spiking pain erupted from his shoulder and caused another the hitch of his stomach that forced him to drive heave. Vaguely, in the back of his sore mind, he heard a bizarre humming flitting just on the outskirts of his awareness.
What was that?
He gagged again, only spitting up acidic bile. It sounded like a very large horde of bees buzzing. His mind produced a picture from long ago. So long ago. The smiling faces of his father and mother before they sent him off to the capital. The beehives outside the three-story cottage buzzing to life during the spring. Selena, vivacious as ever, but her blue eyes untroubled, carefree, kind. Chid, just a toddler, hardly standing on his own two feet, grinning in their mother's arms with that familiar goofy grin. Frowning as he unwillingly focused further on the continual humming, the comforting image of home dissolved. The beehives flickered, wavered into the open mouths of screaming people.
A stone arena, the sandy pit… the Trials…
"Allen! Are you alright? Nurse!" A familiar female voice flew above him dripping with concern.
He knew that voice well.
Millerna.
"W-What…?" He croaked out and felt a warm, wet cloth wipe at his lips. A small arm gently touched his shoulder to guide him back to the bed and he hissed as another throbbing pain shot a flash of light similar to lightning from his shoulder all the way down to his toes.
A strange sense of familiarity besmirched his mind at that sensation. There was something happening today. Something important that had happened…
Wait, where was he again? Opening his lips to talk to Millerna, his mouth was covered by the wet cloth once more.
"You have been unconscious for a while. Just take it easy." Three huge explosions blasted from somewhere further off and he heard the people shriek with excitement and fright.
A vision of the woman in gold; snakes of metallic water swirling around her protectively. Her auburn hair caressing in the wind as she countered his blue sword; meeting him at every Transport, every twist and turn, every single strike. Eyes flaring like the break of sunrise over a night drenched mountainside. The piercing light of fire. The red strands of her hair sending mental images of Chid's lifeless body. Anger flooding his mind.
Zaibach… their trademark red. It was their fault Chid was forever asleep. It was their fault he had to move his siblings from their home to come live with him in the palace. The threat of attack on the Schezar lands, for now held at bay by The Mutts, was too dangerous a place for them. His family's house burnt to the ground. His mother and father living south with distant relatives; removed from everything they knew, and yet still threatened by Zaibach. Selena, his beautiful sweet sister, poisoned by her own greed and selfishness, a ruthless leader in a pack of societal wolves.
And then there was the raging surge of unrelenting power lifting from the sandy ground to crush him from behind. There was no escape.
And he, Allen Schezar, Hero of the Blue, Second in Vehotus and the King's Right Hand, was left in the dirt: broken, bleeding, and demoted.
The flush of wounded pride and resentment spiked forward and bristled down his spine. Letting go a breath, he buried his feelings deep within his heart.
He had lost his Trial. He was no longer second.
The Lady Hitomi had taken his place.
And that was how things were going to be now.
Cracking his right eye open, his fuzzy pupils tried to dilate on the pale face of a female Vehotus member. She gave him a small smile as he blinked rapidly to clear the fog from his vision. Raising her hand hesitantly, he watched her swallow and immediately tuck long locks of blond curling hair behind her ear. Millerna's eyebrows cinched into a frown as a strange blur of white brushed by them followed by the sharp breeze. Her blue eyes held a scolding affirmation, but they softened as she kept them glued on Allen's face.
"How are you feeling?"
"After throwing up a bit, not too bad, really," Allen replied cheekily, managing a strained smile despite another violent lurch his stomach.
The blond woman huffed through a curled lip. "Good to know you haven't lost your sense of humor. You were out for a while. It's been more than an hour. We were getting worried." A white-cladded nursemaid with light brown fur covering her cheeks stepped up to crouch behind Millerna and put her fuzzy hand on her shoulder. Another flash of blurry white brushed more hair into her eyes and caused the drape on the nurse's head to flop upward. She brushed the strands away with an impatient hand while the nurse just sighed quietly. That was when Allen realized Millera had changed out of her armor for a simple blue dress…
It matched her eyes beautifully…
"I will tend to his wounds." The nurse murmured in a low voice. "Now that he is awake, we will ease him up. I am praying this won't increase more of the-"
"I can't stand this anymore! This has got to be the most frustrating, most infuriating! How could he let her go? Why did he let her go? Why does everyone ruin all of my plans?"
Gadeth's violent lamenting drowned out the rest of the nurse's instructions as the blond tried to sit up against the small, cushioned pallet on the ground and had to stop as his vision blacked out. Millerna helped by holding his back steadily. Despite his nausea, he was very aware of her small fingers, pushing him gently. Finally settled, Allen chanced a glance at the rambunctious man and sighed with a quiet breath.
Gadeth was still in the nurse's robes. They tossed around his ankles as he did a bizarre stomping jig with his feet; his palms braced on the windowsill. Though his back was turned away, Allen could practically taste the mounting waves of dramatic fury that seemed to inflate the man.
"What is he doing in here?" The blond gave Millerna a confused frown and she just shrugged.
"He was worried about you. We all were. Dryden's here, too." She pointed with her thumb and Allen turned to his right to see the brown-haired man sitting uncomfortably in a small wooden seat in the corner of the room. Bracing his bearded chin with a bandaged fist and his left knee bouncing sporadically up and down, a barely concealed mask of pain and sadness radiated from his calm eyes as the white nurse behind him gave his head a strange yank. He leisurely tossed a wooden stick back and forth between his lips with a soulful sigh.
"What's wrong with him?"
Millerna's lips tightened as if she was trying not to laugh. "They are trying to brush his hair out, but-"
"He had her, guys! He had her right in his passionate embrace! He was holding her - in front of everyone – cradled for the world to see! The woman he loves, but is too cowardly to admit, the woman he is destined to pilot legendary Guymelefs with, the woman he dragged from Hospesland, the woman who he has been apparently dreaming about since – like - forever and what does he do, Dry-Dry? What does he do?" Gadeth turned and was instantly at Dryden's side; only a blast of wind was able to follow his insane momentum. Grabbing his friend's burnt shoulders; the green man proceeded to shake him aggressively as the nurse brushing his hair let out a small, surprised squeak. "He HEALS her with his enchanted fire, that's what he does! His heals her! How much more romantic can you get? How much more romantic do you need? And, with a 'la-de-da', he just let's her go like BLAM!"
Gadeth smacked his hand hard on the stone and Allen saw Millerna wince. Maybe that sound was a little much for her at the moment…
"He just lets her go to beat her up some more!" Gadeth was back to the window within a blink of an eye, his skirts swaying beautifully around his hips. "Come on, Lord Van, you are killing me here! You are a king! A KING! How could she deny you? Oh, look, what a surprise. They've stopped and are talking again! STOP CHATTING HER UP AND KISS HER ALREADY!" The green man leaned out the window so far that Dryden had to spring forward and run to catch the white belt loop on his friend's robes before he toppled over the ledge.
"Calm down, you lunatic," Dryden groaned out as he yanked him back to the safer side of the overlook. Keeping a steady hand on the insane man's belt loop just in case he decided to yell out the window again, the calm Dryden took out the wood that was jutting from between his teeth with his free hand. "Yelling at them is kind of pointless since they can't hear you from up here."
Gadeth spun on the spot, twisting into Dryden's arms and stopping so they were nose to nose. "Calm down? Calm down!? Don't tell me to calm down, Dry-Dry! How could he just let this moment pass him? How could he ruin everything?" Dryden let go of Gadeth and ducked just in time for his wildly gestured arms to spread wide with the long sleeves of his white robes billowing out dramatically. "He has his cloak! He has healing armor, for Law's sake! He has everyone watching! It is the perfect situation!" Gadeth grabbed his messy, short locks and walked slowly to slouch into a corner of the stone wall in a dejected pout. Falling to his knees with a moan of misery, the torch above his head dimmed considerably. "This is the worst day ever…"
With the danger of Gadeth falling out the open window out of the way, Dryden sighed quietly, rolled his bored brown eyes, and took shuffling steps back to his chair and awaiting nursemaid. As he turned, Allen noticed a small yellow hair comb snagged at the bottom of his long, frizzy curls.
Apparently getting electrocuted wasn't good for hair…
Duly noted.
Allen glanced down at his own long blond hair and was relieved to see it frizz free.
"You are such a child, Gadeth. Get off the floor." Millerna rolled her eyes and dropped her hands from Allen's skin. He shivered at a sudden lack of warmth. "You heard as much as me. She challenged him. There's nothing the king can do about it if she demands a match. Besides, when have you been such an avid supporter of Lord Van's love life?"
"Since like, forever, Millerna. You don't even know!"
The crowd suddenly let out a strangled roar and Dryden stood back up – in the midst of the objecting squeaks of his nurse -and stretched his neck to glance outside. He let out a low whistle.
"Well, the first round is finished. That was quick."
Gadeth's head zipped up quickly with eyes flashing green. "Who was it? Who won? What's going on? Did he kiss her?" He was back at the window a fraction of a second later, bouncing his feet on the ground with excitement with his hands braced on the windowsill once more.
She felt the clash in her heart. In the very core of her being.
The connection of their blades rocked an electric fiery pulse so strong it blasted her away with a toxic heat and – as she used her natural flexibility to catch herself into a double tumble backward to keep her balance - she dropped the hilt of her sword and it disappeared with a vaporizing hiss between her fingers. Coughing thickly with deep inhale of smoggy air, her stinging golden eyes took several blinks to clear on the shadowy figure of Van staggering to keep his feet. Through the grey smoke between them, she could see his sword flickering angrily with whelping flames crackling on the blunted blade. She instantly straightened to summon her sword again and, as the gold blade emerged once more, snapping white lightning laced from hilt to tip. Zeroing in on the king, who was bending forward to cough thickly into his gloved hand, she straightened and fell into an offensive stance: lifting the pink wrapped pommel over her right shoulder and pointing the shimmering sword straight up to the dark sky. Releasing a low breath, she twitched only one small step forward on the rough sand…
And that was when her armor erupted.
"What the…?" She gasped, glancing down bewilderment. The swirls gave a frighteningly bright blast of golden waves and the little rivers began squirming like snakes all around her torso, arms, back, and hips. Attempting to connect her vox to the streams, she tasted a brief wave of its irritation and frustration before they began wrapping themselves closer to the boiled leather against her will. Within only a few more seconds, their rapid pace was instantly halted; frozen back into the encasing metal they used to be when she'd first laid eyes on the armor. Worried and a little panicked, Hitomi tried pushing some of her coursing vox into the now hardened swirls.
They remained motionless, inanimate… dead to her instructions.
"Come on… come on, come on!" She shouted hopelessly, trying again with her power. It refused to take in her vox, almost repelling it. "Wake up! Come on!" Shifting her eyes quickly back on the king, she noticed he was currently distracted with the same predicament.
The molten embers had fallen slower. The tiny flames slinked in and out of the armor's crevices; flickering just once before dying like a drowned campfire. He stood, his head down, his dark hair hanging in his face, his white-scaled arms held up for inspection.
There was no more fire.
She took a step forward, her stance utterly broken in light of this new strange situation. Van caught her eye, his deep red just as confused as hers.
"My armor…" She called with astonishment through the quieting crowd. Her golden sword's tip dropped to the ground defenselessly. "My armor has frozen up. What's going on?"
"Mine, too. It stopped working." He swallowed visibly through the clearing smoke. Van glanced down one more time at the overlapping scales covering his body before his tan face fell into a tense expression. "This might sound weird, but I don't think my armor was happy."
Taking a step forward, she nodded. "Anger. The same happened to mine. Like it was really mad at me for some reason. And then, it just stopped working." A thought slowly revolved in her mind as she studied the absent flames that usually slivered in and out of the crevices. "Maybe… maybe they don't want us to fight each other. They refuse, so they shut down."
Through a shadow of a smile, the king gave a short laugh, "That actually makes a lot of sense. I did heal you with it. I understand it wouldn't want me to mess up its work. Besides, we've already established my armor likes you more."
She tried to fight a smile of her own. "Let's just put this in the 'Questions Our Guymelefs Need to Answer' pile and move on. I don't know about you, but I have another weapon I can summon."
Van's mouth transformed into a grimace. "I really would rather back out of-"
"Forget it and fight me," she interrupted with her eyes glinting daringly. "Unless you really want to forfeit to me..."
There was a pause. A standoff. His eyes focused on her face, then fell to her neck following the auburn strands that were being pushed back by the night breeze. They trailed down to her arm, which clenched golden sword. Sighing, he flipped his weapon over his tan hand and caught the dark red hilt backwards in his strong fingers. The long red blade faced away from her and pointed behind him. His entire left side was open for attack. Van fell into a low crouching stance, like a lion pounding on prey. His arms were tense, but his fingers remained loose, calm, and ready. This was a stance more suited for Millerna, not a single-handed fighter. She was impressed by his strength at holding the heavy weapon so steady parallel, but she had to wonder at the risk. Her mind flashing through various maneuvers he could employ against her. He might have more freedom of movement to take her out, but he was also very vulnerable to her own attacks.
What was he planning? A sword wasn't a dagger…
"You challenged me. Let's see…" He stopped and shot her a look of forced resolve. His black cloak tossed with the mounting breeze that blustered through the arena, lifting off his broad shoulders as if virtually ecstatic about the entire situation.
"Let's see what you can do, then."
With the blunted red blade pointed unwaveringly away from her; she felt her heart crash in alarm as he suddenly took off in a charging offensive attack and swung the sword forward within his fingertips. Gasping, she staggered back, lifting the golden blade just in time to crack the metal against his. A sharp smack of fire and thunder shot out from the connection, bursting together in the air and plummeting to the arena's ground like red and gold firecrackers. Van switched his thrust instantly, slipping to her left with the grace of a shadow; his wrist twisting smoothly. He was attempting to catch her off-guard. Back curved and limbs agile, she slipped a dancing step to the right and avoid the swing. Clenching her teeth behind her clamped lips, she countered with a hard left thrust of her own.
BOOM.
He blocked her, blade with blade followed by another resounding twist of fire and lightning raining down around them. Her mind was solid, locking in to the swift battle of flexibility and reflexes. Spinning low, Van swept for her legs with his weapon and she sprung forward, using her free hand to push off his back with a small flip to land behind him. He rotated immediately on foot and caught her sword with his own once more.
BOOM.
Yet another tower of sparks and fire; coiling into the night sky and bursting apart. She saw the fierce crimson eyes narrow at her. And then he disappeared with a red vapor.
Transported.
Where?
Gathering her vox immediately into her hands, she let the hot magic flush out of her fingertips; conforming together into the Mindwave shield that surrounded her completely.
Just in time.
The Mindwave solidified and – in that instant - a blast of sparks told her Van was at her back.
With all her will and a gasp escaping her lips at the enormous amount of burning power coursing through her, she pushed the monstrous amount of vox backward. The Mindwave, breaking its protective shield and rapidly converting into an all-encompassing projectile, rolled like an unstoppable wave on water. She heard his voice yell out and whipped her head around in satisfaction to see his surprised face as he was hit dead on with her unescapable magic. The golden vox blasted him off his feet and tossed him in the air. She could hear her expectant heartbeats in her ears as if time had decided to slow to a crawl while his fingers clawed fruitlessly through the uncooperative wind. The black cape twisted with his force. She had him. He was done for!
And then he disappeared in mid-air.
Swallowing down her growl of disappointment, she instantly searched for his familiar shape.
She was really going to have to learn how to Transport sometime…
He appeared several yards away in front of her, his breath flowing in and out roughly, but his eyes surprisingly calm with some secret thought. A plan, maybe? She tensed, ready for any slight movement from him.
"I have underestimated you," he admitted through the screaming crowd. "I didn't expect an attack from behind."
"You have Balgus and his stupid rocks to thank for that." She responded falling back into her offensive stance, the sword straight and pointing to the night sky. "That's what you get for leaving me alone with the old goat."
Van's bangs tossed over his eyes gently as he shook his head leisurely. "I would have stayed if I could. I would have train you myself. Unfortunately, pressing matters called me back here." To her complete surprise, he dropped his sword from his hand and, with a lick of flame slipping and relaxing into a puff of smoke - it was gone.
"Are you mental?" She cried out, her stance remaining solid, but her head pounding in indignation. "You just summoned away your sword!"
"Oh, I did, didn't I?" Van's face fell into that furtive smile that she had once thought was very attractive.
Now... it was just annoying.
Really, really annoying.
"You make it seem like this fight is over!" Hitomi shouted briskly, feeling a wash of resentment at his unexpected nonchalant behavior in their fight. "Let me reassure you, this is far from ending!" The sand rose behind her as she charged swiftly, letting the vox trickle only lightly on the muscles of her legs. It increased her speed, but she had to grit her teeth against the agony in her calves. She closed in on him fast. In the tight grasp of her fierce irritation, she never noticed a casual red-weaving power filtering on the insides of his gloved palms.
Striking forward with her pommel, her long metal sang in a sharp empty arch as he disappeared once more with Transport.
"I hate it when people do that!" she declared with a roar as she swung around with the motion to protect her back and simultaneously releasing the power in her aching legs; slipping the magic to-the-ready in her hands.
She stopped. He wasn't behind her…
"What about if I do this?" His deep voice was a shivering whisper in her ear. With a startled scream, she tried to turn, but her arm was caught. His red-laced vox had slapped on her right wrist and was beginning enveloping her fingers in thick weaves of magic. Her hand dropped the sword hilt and the steady weapon flickered fruitlessly out of sight as the red covered her fingers to the tips.
"I've got you now," She heard him in her other ear and she gasped shortly as another wave of lacing red caught her other arm in a tangled plait. Pulling and struggling with all her strength, she rushed her vox to beat off Van's power, but he was too quick. Another brush of red caught her two feet, trapping them both in his power. Twisting her head around, she saw her limbs were connected to his tan fingers like the strings of a puppeteer.
There was no way…
He yanked on the cords of his vox just enough to trip her up: her legs pulled out from under her, her arms unable to catch her fall. With a windblown breath, she landed heavily on the ground; the useless metallic swirls of her chest plate clinking against the small rocky ground. Her left cheek pressed on the sand and she felt his power release their hold on her arms and legs as they flopped uselessly on the ground with her shock.
Attempting to catch her breath back in her lungs, she rose to her knees; coughing and sputtering for her stolen breath. Shaking her head slowly, her eyes were focused on the ground through the curtain of her auburn hair. Her gloves slowly clenched on the sand, making shaking fists on the ground.
Round one…
Van Fanel…
"So, the king won the first round…" Millerna murmured with a low voice. She had settled herself on the floor beside Allen's mat; her blue eyes downcast. With a look of solemn contemplation, she began unthinkingly fingering the back of her head with her pale hands.
"What's on your mind?" Allen asked gently from his reclining pillows.
The female Vehotus was quiet for a moment. The crowd let out a small cry outside the window, but her fellow teammates had their eyes on her – even Gadeth. Swallowing, she finally confessed, "I should be happy that Van has taken her down, but for some reason… I'm kind of disappointed. She has gone so far and accomplished so much with these Trials."
Dryden snorted around the stick. "Yeah, no kidding. She took us all out."
The blond woman lowered her hand and gave Dryden a small smile. "It's strange, and I know he is our king, but…" She sighed quietly. "I can't help but find myself rooting for her."
The brown-haired man hummed, stroking the stubble on his cheeks with his bandaged fingers before taking the wood out of his mouth to say, "What I want to know is why she was so adamant about fighting Lord Van in the first place. He's got powers we can only dream of. I know she's all legendary and everything, but this is the King of Fanelia she's fighting. He destroyed you within seconds during your battle, right, Allen?" The blond man shot him a scowl and Dryden pointedly ignored the look. "You'd think there was something going on between them. Some hidden agenda we are unaware of-"
"Funny you should say such a thing, Dry-Bunny, they do have one: Our Lady Pilot and King of Fanelia have a bet going that if Lord Van wins against her, she has to tell him something that occurred between the two of them when they first met in Hospesland, and if she wins, he has to ask her a simple question. Personally, I'm more curious about what happened in Hospesland to make our little redheaded vixen so nervous. It has to be something good." Gadeth tossed his sleeves briskly over his shoulder before glancing around with innocent confusion.
"What?"
A stunned silence had befallen every single member of the cove. Allen's mouth had tumbled open, Millerna's hands fell limply from her hair, and the stick between Dryden's fingers fell with a clatter to the ground. Even the nurses were still, their quick eyes darting nervously to each other.
"G-Gadeth!" Millerna squealed, always the first to recover. "How were we supposed to know something like that? Better yet, how did you know something like that?"
The green man shrugged, but his dark eyes sparkled. "Because I'm awesome?"
"That is the most insane..." Allen breathed. Dryden just barked a laugh and crossed his arms lazily over his chest as if watching a very amusing theatrical play.
"Honestly, now," She coaxed. "How did you know about this?"
Gadeth frowned and cocked a hip prissily. "Look, Milly, if you just watched and listening like I did, things would be so much easier around here. Everyone is always so busy with their own thoughts and feelings." He lifted a finger with importance. "For example, I know just by being awesome you are in love with-"
"-Before we get things stirred up in here," Dryden interrupted quickly with a calm voice that didn't match his deep eyes. The amusement from before had fizzled out. "I say you tell us what you think Lord Van's question might be, Gadeth."
Laughing like a conspiring queen into the sleeves of his long robe, Gadeth's thin, pale face emerged to grin wildly at them. The smile was full of secrets with just a fleeting touch of insanity.
"You really want to know what I think?"
"You know we do, idiot. Stop reveling in the attention." His friend muttered sarcastically, gritting his teeth through another yank in his hair.
Gadeth's smile, as if it was possible, lit up further, the insanity increasing dangerously to his green-tinged eyes.
"If he asks his question, Our Lady Pilot might not need her cloak made."
Millerna gasped and her fingers flew to her mouth. "You cannot mean…!"
Allen's eyes were wide with a look of lost confusion. Glancing at Dryden, he saw the bandaged man shrug good-naturedly and swoop down to pick up his fallen stick.
"Why wouldn't she need her cloak made? She's in the Vehotus, right?" Allen asked. "We all have one."
A simple turn of his foot, a theatrical sigh complete with batted eyelashes, and his elbows pressed into the windowsill to hold up his chin, Gadeth let out a strange giggle to the sandy arena below. "Always trust Milly to be the first to understand. For you two blokes drowning in the sea of stupid, I'll clarify just this once: he's going to ask her to take his cloak."
He swiveled around, his white draped arms flapping like an angel.
"He's going to propose."
"Here," she sensed more than saw his outstretched hand hovering near her ear. "Let me help you stand."
Closing her eyes with a shallow breath, she relaxed her grip on the sand; flattening her fingers on the deep indention she'd made on the ground. A wash of irritation, frustration, and anger frothed with a terrible self-disappointing nausea that had already started churning her stomach.
She had been so stupid with this first fight. She had been too confident in her abilities. Hadn't thought harder, reacted quicker. This was Van she was fighting! Someone who was just as powerful as she, who had years more experience and knew exactly what he was doing. She'd let her guard down and underestimated the King of Fanelia.
Law, she felt like an idiot.
With a deep shaking breath, pushing back the burn behind her eyes, she reached up, grasped tightly on his awaiting fingers, and he gently helped her stand. She couldn't feel his skin through the gloves like before. Her armor, her 'secret weapon', so to speak, had shut down completely.
Lifting her gaze to him, she was surprised to see the red vox had all but disappeared from his eyes. The familiar deep mahogany was flicked on the outer edges of his crimson irises. Though the dragon armor had ceased producing tiny flames, the distant torches produced enough light to see his worried expression. The tan skin of his face and neck seemed to glow with a strange gold. He was so reminiscent of that fateful night. Her mind flickered on the memory. A past that seemed so long ago; practically the figment of a dream. The night that had changed everything in her life.
The night she'd decided to take destiny into her own hands.
Looking at him staring at her with those eyes filled to the brim with concern, she knew how she felt about him. Identifying her feelings wasn't the problem. And, honestly, what was the issue with telling him how she'd gotten Grison to open the gate? What was the point in making everything such a dramatic endeavor? She knew she had feelings for him. She knew he felt something for her as well. If she had so easily grasped the destiny that was in store for her the night she left Hospesland, then why couldn't she grasp another destiny standing right before her? Why was she hesitating telling him something he probably already knew?
Hitomi could say it right now. He was right there before her, close enough to hear every word she said.
And then the knot of fear struck.
The fear of vulnerability.
The wash of terror in revealing her true feelings.
Opening wide her heart for him to see and possible fatally crush…
The fear of rejection.
With a quick blink, she took her forgotten palm out of his fingers and swallowed audibly. Turning away before he could see her brilliant, shameful blush, she spied the iridescent circles numerous feet away; waiting patiently on the ground for the next round.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you." He stated smoothly to her back. "It was a good fight."
"It could have been better..." She joked with a humor she didn't feel. "You didn't hurt me, Van, don't worry. I'll meet you at the circle."
Her fingers curled into tight fists.
She took a step forward.
And a plan began to form in her mind.
First round goes to Van.
The Vehotus know about the bet.
Gadeth is insane.
Hope you like the chapter.
Moving on to the next round.
Happy Easter Turtle to all!
blue...